Tool for ballast tamping machine

ABSTRACT

Railway track ballast compressing and shifting apparatus wherein there is provided at least one vibrating tamper tool acting on the ballast between sleepers for simultaneously compressing and shifting the ballast to fill voids beneath the sleepers.

United States Patent [191 Eisenmann et al.

[ 1 Mar. 19, 1974 TOOL FOR BALLAST TAMPING MACHINE [76] Inventors: Josef Eisenmann, Rheinstrahe 37,

Munich; Heinrich Helgemeir, Allmannshausenerstrasse 30b, Munich 25, both of Germany [22] Filed: Aug. 24, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 174,442

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 835,198, June 20, 1969,

abandoned.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 24, 1968 Germany 1759950 Nov. 6. 1968 Germany 1807156 [52} US. Cl. 104/12 [51] Int. Cl E01b 27/16 [58] Field of Search 104/10-13;

[56] 1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.556.604 10/1925 Jackson 104/12 3,111,909 11/1963 Plasser et a1 l 104/12 2.497.682 2/1950 Mertz 104/12 1,706,121 3/1929 Laughlin, Sr. et al. 104/12 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Witherspoon and Lane [57] ABSTRACT Railway track ballast compressing and shifting apparatus wherein there is provided at least one vibrating tamper tool acting on the ballast between sleepers for simultaneously compressing and shifting the ballast to fill voids beneath the sleepers.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENTEnm 19 m4 339K397 SHEEI 1 or 2 FIG.|

Pmmmmsmn 3797397 sum 2 OF 2 FIG. 2.

TOOL FOR BALLAST TAMPING MACHINE This application is a division of application Ser. No. 835,198 filed June 20, 1969 entitled Ballast Tamping Machine now abandoned.

This invention relates to railway track ballasttamping apparatus wherein there is provided one or more vibrating tools acting on the betweensleepers space for simultaneously compressing and, compressing and shifting ballast from such space to voids below the railway sleepers.

In conventional tamping machines, tamping tools in the form of picks vibrate their way into the ballast, pressing the collected ballast below thesleepers from both sides, and thus form compressed banks of ballast having substantially vertical boundary surfaces. Owing to the opening and withdrawal of the tamping tools, the ballast surrounding the compressed ballast banks is of a loose consistency and so cannot prevent subsequent collapse of the banks under stress from the traffic load.

German Pat. specification No. 1,106,790 and Plasser & Theurers BKV-K 1 machine are disclosures of ballast-tamping machines wherein four shaker devices are arranged in two pairs one on each side of a track rail, one of each pair operating on each side of one sleeper. These machines are called between-sleepers space tampers and are of use more particularly for the subsequent compression of between-sleepers ballast which the tamping tools of the tamping machine have loosened. These shakertampers or compressors comprise known vibrating tools vibrated by rotating unbalanced members The tool heads of the shaker compressors have shaker plates which can have upright or inclined surfaces which apply through the ballast bed a force having a vertical component and a lateral component which acts on the sleeper. Accordingly, the vibrators of the shaker compressors are arranged with their axes inclined to the vertical.

In view of the foregoing a ballast-compressing or tamping machine is provided with one or more vibrating tools acting on the between-sleepers space for simultaneously compressing and shifting the ballast from such space to the voids below the railway sleepers.

Each vibrating tool is loaded so as to apply to the ballast a constant initial pressure of at least 1 kg'f/cm while the oscillating head of the vibrating tool remains in intimate contact with the. ballast. I

If the vibrating-tool heads are appropriately devised, the subsidence, and therefore the movement, can be arranged to occur at a particular ballast depth, for in stance, at sleeper bottom surface level, the outwardly displaced ballast being forced below the sleepers. Cavities therebelow are therefore filled and the ballast is brought into a very compact state.

Conveniently, each vibrating tool comprises a pivoted arm with rotatable eccentrics for oscillating the arm vertically and/or horizontally. These eccentrics may be arranged in pairs.

The vibrating-tool heads may be of unitaryor multipiece construction, engaging the ballast around each sleeper by straddling it saddle-fashion, and have tamping end faces which when paired make up a wedge shape. Constructions having articulated, individually energized tool heads which cooperate saddle-fashion and whose tamping end faces perform a centrally directed movement when vibrated also fallunder this invention.

According to a further feature of the invention each vibrating-tool is a unitary device and provided with sep arate vibrating means. Each multi-element vibrating tool may be of bifurcated form. In yet another aspect of the invention each vibrating-tool is mounted on frame parts of resilient material or is adapted to accommodate vibration by one or more vibrating means.

The tool heads of adjacent vibrating-tool elements may be arranged in combination whereby their individual vibratory motions reinforce one another.

In this context the individual vibrating means for vibrating mutually cooperating vibrating tool elements are synchronized whereby oscillatory energy produced is maximal in the horizontal plane and minimal in the vertical plane.

It is desirable that each vibrating-tool element be resiliently suspended whereby the transmission of vibration to other parts of the machine is reduced.

The tool comprises at least one oscillating pressure plate and at least one shaker bar which is mounted below and at a distance from the pressure plate. The shaker bar is connected to the pressure plate by means of one or more supports, preferably T-shaped or U- shaped. It is important that the shaker bar crosssectional area should be much larger than the crosssectional areas of the supports. The shaker bar becomes the main energizing and shaking member below the ballast surface; also, since the shaker bar operates at some distance from the pressure plate at some depth below the plane of the sleeper, there is no risk of it jamming in a selfproduced block of ballast between the sleepers. i

In a tool construction having a number of supports for the shaker bar the outer support may advantageously be of large-area and preferably in the form of a triangular plate, which can bound the operative range ofthe shaker bar on one side, at the place furthest away from the rails. If, of two tools, the supports nearest the rail are narrow, the ballast is displaced inwards into the ballast bed area below the rail. The tool, being the bottom part of a vibrating rocking arm, can deal very effectivelywith the very large horizontal oscillating deflections. Consequently, when the tool is entering the ballast, the shaker bar can advance very advantageously into the ballast and can, with simultaneous energization of the surrounding ballast, penetrate to some depth as far as the sleeper bottom edges. The energization reduces the frictional resistance of the immediately adjacent ballast chips to an extent such that, with relatively slight pressure from above, they shift into a very compact position and in so doing, fill all the empty spaces present.

The tool therefore transfers energy to the ballast in two ways. The inertia forces produced by oscillation are basically broken down by tool shape into horizontal and vertical forces. The horizontal forces are transmitted to the ballast preferably by the shaker bar, and the vertical forces are transmitted to the ballast, with extra pressure amplification, via the pressure plate. Toll construction can be adapted to the required purpose and to ballast size. For use inside single or double slip points, the tool is verynarrow and therefore, conveniently, has a single support, whereas in tracks where the gauge is wide, the increased compression width makes the use of more than one support advisable.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art unit adapted to work on the ballast in the two ways previously described,

FIG. 2 is an elevational view illustrating a pair of tools of this invention, viewed transversely of the track, and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the tool of this invention positioned parallel to the track and between adjacent sleepers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a support beam 1 is suspended on a trolley bridge 2 with the interposition of reciprocating actuators 3a, 3b. Bridge 2 runs on two rails 4a, 4b of the vehicle which extend in the direction of the railway track, so that bridge 2 has some provision for movement in the direction of the railway track. Bridge 2 has running wheels 5. Another reciprocating actuator 6 can pivot actuators 3a, 3b around their suspension pivots 7a, 7b, so that beam 1 is movable transversely with respect to the direction of the track rails 8a, 8b.

Four vibrating tools 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d are suspended by way of pivot bearings 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d on beam 1. Motors 11a, 11b operate unbalanced generators, i.e., rotating unbalanced members 12a, 12b which, depending upon their construction, vibrate tools 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d vertically and/or horizontally or, to the extent permitted by tool mounting, along the generated surface of a once. The pressure applied by the units 3a, 3b is, in accordance with the invention, such that a substantially constant initial prestressing of at least 1 kgf/cm acts on every vibration tool.

The vibrations produced by the unbalanced members have a frequency of more than 30 Hz and apply an OS- cillating pressure to each vibration tool. Consequently, the vibration-tool heads are maintained in intimate oscillation-transmitting contact with the ballast while vibrating and do not disengage therefrom.

During vibration each vibrating tool element traverses a flat elliptical path in the vertical plane and performs an elliptical shoveling motion which has a preferred direction with a resulting unequal distribution of ballast. In some cases it may be desired to obviate this inequality by providing individual vibrating means for each vibrating tool element while retaining vibration tools which are entirely replaceable units.

The present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the tool is provided with at least one oscillating pressure plate having a shaker bar mounted underneath at a distance from the pressure plate by means of a plurality of supports. Said shaker bar is connected with the pressure plate by means of one or more supports, preferably in the shape of a T or a U. It is important that the shaker bar cross-sectional area is far larger than the cross-sectional areas of the supports. The shaker bar consequently becomes the main energizing and shaking member below the ballast surface; moreover, since the shaker bar operates at some distance from the pressure plate and at some depth below the plane of the sleeper, there is no risk of the shaker bar becoming jammed in a self-produced block of ballast between the sleepers.

In a construction having a plurality of supports the outer support may advantageously be of large planer area, preferably in the form of a triangular plate, which bounds the operative range of the shaker bar on one side, at the place furthest away from the rails. If, of two tools, the supports nearest to the rail are of narrow design, the ballast is also displaced inwards into the ballast bed area below the rail. The tool, being the bottom part of a vibrating rocking arm, can deal very effectively with the maximum horizontal oscillating deflections. Consequently, when the tool is entering the ballast, the shaker bar can advance particularly effectively into the ballast and, with simultaneous energization of the surrounding ballast, can readily penetrate as far down as the sleeper bottom edges. The energization reduces the frictional resistance of the immediately adjacent ballast chips to such an extent that, with relatively slight pressure from above, they shift into a very compact position and so fill the empty spaces present.

Consequently, the tool transfers energy to the ballast in two ways: the inertia forces produced by oscillations are basically broken down into horizontal and vertical forces owing to the shape of the tool. The horizontal forces are transferred to the ballast preferably by the shaker bar, and the vertical forces are transferred to the ballast, with additional pressure amplification, via the pressure plate. The tool construction can be adapted to the required purpose and to the ballast size. When used inside single or double slip points, the tool is very na narrow and therefore, conveniently, has a single support, whereas in tracks where the gauge is wide the use of a tool having a plurality of supports is advisable because of the increased compression width.

The tool illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is adapted for attachment to support beam 1 of the apparatus of FIG. 1. This tool specifically comprises a horizontal pressure plate 17 with supports 18 and 28 depending perpendicularly downwardly therefrom to carry transverse shaker bar 20. The tool is connected to rocking bar 22 which in turn is connected at the top end thereof to support beam 1 by means of a resilient member 21. The tools are raised and lowered into position by movement of the support beam 1.

The rocking arm 22 may be vibrated by an eccentric 12 rotatably carried in said rocking arm.

When shaker bar 20 enters the ballast, the horizontal oscillations enable it to make its way rapidly through the ballast down to a depth between the sleeper bottom edges. As the shaker bar enters the ballast, the surrounding ballast has been vibrated so vigorously that the pressure plate, which then comes to act on the ballast surface, squeezes the ballast out like a paste in all directions, as indicated by arrows, by virtue of its vertical vibration energy which is accompanied by an additional pressure force. The characteristic feature of the tool operation is that the ballast is simultaneously forced without gaps below the two sleepers on each side of the between-sleepers space. However, it lies also within the scope of the invention that the tool, being bifurcated and connected in saddle-fashion, engages the ballast on both sides of a sleeper.

We claim:

1. A tamping-tool for use in conjunction with a railway track ballast tamping machine adapted to force the ballast between sleepers up under said sleepers to fill voids thereunder, said machine having means for applying downward and vibrating forces to the tool, said tool comprising a vertical support member, a horizontal pressure plate affixed to the lower end of the support member for applying downward pressure on the ballast, a shaker bar horizontally disposed beneath and spaced from the horizontal pressure plate for applying brating means are provided in the vertical support.

4. The tamping tool of claim 1 and wherein resilient means are provided for connecting the vertical support to the ballast tamping machine.

5. The tamping tool of claim 2 and wherein the surface of the shaker bar which acts against the ballast is substantially greater than that of the brackets supporting the shaker bar. 

1. A tamping-tool for use in conjunction with a railway track ballast tamping machine adapted to force the ballast between sleepers up under said sleepers to fill voids thereunder, said machine having means for applying downward and vibrating forces to the tool, said tool comprising a vertical support member, a horizontal pressure plate affixed to the lower end of the support member for applying downward pressure on the ballast, a shaker bar horizontally disposed beneath and spaced from the horizontal pressure plate for applying transverse vibrations to the ballast, and means for rigidly connecting the shaker bar to the pressure plate.
 2. The tamping tool of claim 1 and wherein the means for rigidly connecting the shaker bar to the pressure plate comprises a pair of brackets, one connected to and extending downwardly from each end of the pressure plate, the other end of each bracket being affixed to the shaker bar.
 3. The tamping tool of claim 1 and wherein rotary vibrating means are provided in the vertical support.
 4. The tamping tool of claim 1 and wherein resilient means are provided for connecting the vertical support to the ballast tamping machine.
 5. The tamping tool of claim 2 and wherein the surface of the shaker bar which acts against the ballast is substantially greater than that of the brackets supporting the shaker bar. 